~Review~

I love reading these novellas from Kate Daniels world. I learn something new about my favorite characters that I can’t get from Kate’s POV in the main novels. This novella is about Dali and Jim. I love Kate and Curran, but Dali and Jim are a close second in the favorites department. I love the diversity of the characters in this world, so Dali (Indonesian) and Jim (African-American) just adds to the many ethnicities. I always want more when I finish, so Andrews knows how to snare a reader.

What I love about this story is how Dali is very much connected to her culture. Like Kate, Dali is very powerful. So it’s no surprise that she is called upon for some magical business. Of course, Jim-badass-Shrapshire comes along for the action. I don’t want to spoil for those who haven’t read it, but this one is packed with action and magic. By now, Jim and Dali are a couple, so you get to see them interact without all the dilly-dally. Dali being a half blind, white weretigress comes with its perks. She and her homicidal jaguar dive deep into the mystery.

I love this couple! They are so different, yet they fit together perfectly. Before the end of Magic Breaks, there’s very little of Jim and Dali together in the other books. They appear separately (except for Magic Strikes), so I grasp at any chance to see them doing their couple thing. Andrews does well on character development, and I won’t even speak about the mythology. Every time I read some new mythology in this world, I Google it until I know a little more. (I even added Bulfinch’s Mythology to my books-to-buy list after reading Magic Binds). Andrews spins the lore to make it their own, and it is really well detailed. Another great novella in this amazing world of Kate Daniels!

~Review~

This novella is an introduction into the Kate Daniels world. I never knew exactly how Kate met Saiman. Until now. This is Kate as a mercenary, working for the Guild. She’s assigned a bodyguard detail, and is in for an interesting night.

In Saiman’s quest to have the answer to everything, he has pissed off the wrong people. As Kate kicks ass, and Saiman flirts, dark creatures come to kill them. This is all things Russian Lore, so the volhvs are involved. Let’s just say that Saiman changed his shape to acquire an object of power to get an answer to a question.We never get his question because it all backfires.

It was hilarious. If you know Saiman, then you know that he’s all about SELF. He thinks his money will buy him anything. He thinks his polymorphism can get him into any bed he desires.Well, that mess doesn’t work on Kate Daniels. This is Kate’s introduction, and if I had read this before the first book, I would have wanted more immediately. If you want some Saiman shenanigans, these 65 pages will satisfy you.

People have been suggesting Andrews to me for years. I’ve even bought a couple of books I saw for good deals. But I think they are part of a series and I refuse to read a series out of order. I really need to get to her. Her lore sounds different and interesting and I’m all for some diversity in my books.

I used to think that if it all boiled down to saving Kate or making more money, that he’d choose Kate. As you know by the way he acted in Magic Shifts, I’m no longer holding out hope. He is a selfish man and there is no hope for him. Remember in Magic Strikes, at the Midnight Games, when Kate summed up his ego before she even knew of his true form? She had it right and he was shocked. LOL

The Jim and Dali novellas are my absolute favorites. Andrews was originally planning on giving them a full book of their own a few years ago, but apparently they had to put that on the very back burner because of their publishing scheduling for the main Kate Daniels books and their other works. I keep hoping that they’ll come back to it soon though. I definitely want to see these two featured in a full length novel.

It can be difficult to do novellas right, but it seems like she has nailed it and managed to do it perfectly as well. I love the sound of the first one being ethnicity mixed because we all know we need more books like that. And the second one seems like the humor really adds to the novels. Brilliant mini reviews which makes me want to read them all the more!

Kate Daniels world has so much diversity. Even Kate is a POC, if you can’t tell by some of the covers on the original books. Her father is of Middle Eastern descent. There are African Americans, Polynesians, biracials, gay, Greeks, Chinese, and a slew of other diverse characters. I think that’s why I love this series so much.

Whenever you review books from this series you get me all excited to dive right back into this world. I’m not much of a novella person, but these are novellas I would 100% read because I love these characters too and I can’t get enough of them.
Wonderful reviews!

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Hello & Welcome To My Blog

I love to read, drink coffee, eat pickles and I'm determined to watch every movie that was made before 1981. I'm sort of an introvert, and I stay to myself. People in this world are cruel, so I'll just let them have it. I prefer fictional worlds and it's inhabitants!! Catch me watching Game of Thrones!

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